Maximus

May 7, 2009

Behemoth

This building is just too overpowering for words. So pictures will have to do instead. Can you guess what it is?
The cladding is very simple, to the point of being very plain. There’s nothing better than a smooth even grey. A warm soft grey, with a hint of white.
Is frit the new phat? Is grey the new black?

Callum

7 - 05 - 09

The new supreme court?? Or BNZ at harbour quays…

i_am

7 - 05 - 09

IRD opposite the railway station by WAM?

Maximus

7 - 05 - 09

Callum, what were you doing up at 4.30 am ? Go to sleep man !

Seamonkey Madness

7 - 05 - 09

New IRD building.
It’s been fantastic getting off the train every weekday morning and seeing how things are coming along. It’s interesting in itself to see how they slot the façade panels into place. Not the most exciting building, and as has been said here (or elsewhere?) it does take the focussed ‘majesty’ of the Railway Station away a bit. On the flip side of that, it will slot in nicely next to The Holiday Inn.

mobsta

7 - 05 - 09

It is a big building.
(I understand that it has more floor area than the Pentagon……)

I too have been watching it go up with interest.
It is interesting that there are two facade types – one to Bunny Street and the the other to Featherston. I presume this has something to do with shading and the obligatory Green Star rating.
I’m just not sure that it’s enough for a building of this size.
I’m not advocating a different treatment to every facade (we see how messy that can look a la Meridian Building), but maybe just a bit more articulation.
Which is why I think that the Bunny Street face is better than the Featherston one.

I will reserve my judgement till it reaches it full height and also till I see how it presents itself at street / retail level. This, I suspect, will be one of the acid tests. With 20,000 people walking past it everyday, it had better do a good job….

greenwelly

7 - 05 - 09

will reserve my judgement till it reaches it full height and also till I see how it presents itself at street / retail level. This, I suspect, will be one of the acid tests. With 20,000 people walking past it everyday, it had better do a good job….

When you consider that the anchor retail tenant is to be McDonalds, I’m not sure there is really much expectation,

Although finally we are getting a decent trail of verandas on the route from the station to the core CBD, should be well appreciated by everyone who has to traverse that route in bad weather.

Seamonkey Madness

7 - 05 - 09

“…the anchor retail tenant is to be McDonalds…”

Really??? ó_ò

At least it’s not a Duffy & Finns I guess…

Jason

7 - 05 - 09

I think I hate it. I think I love it. It’s a big full stop at the end of the city – the weighty terminator of a fifteen clause sentence about accountability. It’s big and solid and grey. What better symbol for tax bureacracy?

Jason

7 - 05 - 09

And in my looking around for a picture of it I stumbled upon some project called the Bowen House Integrated Campus or something. They’re gonna put a big glass thing on the front of this and ruin one of my favourite buildings (for me, anyway. Selfish, much?)

Starkive

7 - 05 - 09

I’ve said it before – Lubyanka comparisons notwithstanding – Wellington is surely big enough and capitoline enough to live up to an imposing pile of reinforced concrete and glass across from its railway station. We don’t need a city made up solely of gracefully articulated apartment balconies. All that pav and no potatoes?

I can see this building and its future population of tax gatherers providing a very satisfying focus for national resentment – a kind of lightning rod for neo-liberals and Friedmanites.

Maximus

7 - 05 - 09

Callum, your wish is my command. Next post, coming right up. But it’s great to hear that we do have a reader in Kuwait – how would you like to do a special report? We’re all back here in sunny Wellington (actually, i lie: its freezing cold and there’s been a recent massive hailstorm and 180 lightening strikes a day ago over the region – ie stormy time is here again) – anyway, as i was saying before i interrupted myself – we’re a little bit far away from the rest of the world, in terms of construction and world recession etc. We hear rumours of flash cars being left at the airport as the expats leave the states like Dubai etc – what’s happening in Kuwait?

DeepRed

7 - 05 - 09

From What I know, Bowen Campus is still up in the air.

“We hear rumours of flash cars being left at the airport as the expats leave the states like Dubai etc – what’s happening in Kuwait?”
According to sharemarket analyst Brian Gaynor, the same thing has been happening in Ireland.

Callum

8 - 05 - 09

Yes it’s true about Dubai. I was living in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE till November last year and has to be one of the easiest places to get a mega loan without any background checks then ditch the loan so easily when you leave. But like the city, the people are all living a life on borrowed money.
Kuwait is not such a thriving metropolis as Dubai and progress is very slow. Some parts look still very much war torn but there are some amazing tower rising from the sand. As a former Wellingtonian, and I’m still just 22, I miss the compactness and vibrancy of Wellington but I had to see what else is out there as you can lead a very isolated life back home. Sure it’s 40 degrees here now and will soon reach 50 but I’d just be as likely to be complaining about the cold back home.
Thanks for the pic updates, much appreciated!! Lets me keep an eye on everything :)